Rob Portman has a new ad opposing cap-and-trade

Rob Portman is hitting the airwaves with this new ad opposing cap-and-trade.

It’s an interesting move in that given most of the electorate (including, purportedly, nearly half of Ohio Republicans) don’t know Portman, I’m surprised he didn’t start off with a soft biographical spot.

The ad really is pretty good. No distracting visuals. A crisp, clear message that is well delivered whatever you think of its merits. It’s a substantive ad that avoids even mentioning Fisher and doesn’t even come off as a negative ad.

Portman’s clearly banking that no viewer will go to his campaign website and read his “jobs plan” though because you’d be hard pressed to find much in there that would result in a cleaner environment (let alone one cleaner than if we adopted cap and trade) or ended our dependence on foreign oil… or even create jobs.

Half of his so-called “jobs plan” is nothing more than opposing the Obama Administration’s agenda and repealing what it has already achieved. The other half is a bunch of tax gimmicks that most economists, including conservative economists, ridicule as not being effective to creating jobs at all.

I looked elsewhere, but Portman has no obvious place on his website wherein he discusses energy and environmental policy. At best, there’s a bullet point that seems to emphasize his support for nuclear power and implicitly Governor Strickland’s green energy initiatives, but nothing that would necessarily “end our reliance on foreign oil.”

Still, Portman is hitting the airwaves while he sits with a healthy campaign war chest as Fisher continues to rebuild his after the primary. It’s interesting that neither campaign has yet announced what they raised at the end of the FEC reporting period last week. Perhaps when the reports become due, the crowing will begin. Obviously, Portman should continue to show an impressive cash-on-hand figure and likely good amount raised, too. If there’s anything being a Bush Administration official is politically good for, it’s fundraising as Bush was one of the party’s all-time kings of raising money.

It remains to be seen how much Fisher has been able to replenish his warchest after the primary. I haven’t asked the campaign for their figures because, well, I anticipate that they’ll announce them when they announce them. I doubt they’re in any hurry given that it’s impossible that they’ve erased Portman’s campaign finance advantages merely one report period after the primary.

Thanks, Chairman Frost. I kept looking for it and I just missed the popup window for it. That's one of the things I don't like about website design right now. Popup windows make for a cleaner presentation, but can frustrate simple navigation.

Mah

Rob Portman, ex-US Trade Representative. Rob, How many Ohio jobs did you help send overseas? Does NAFTA, CAFTA ring a bell. The Ohio Conference on Fair Trade said that during the Portman term as U.S. Trade Rep., 17,000 Ohio jobs were outsourced while the trade deficit rose 6.5 percent.

Disclaimer: This should not be construed as an endorsement of any other candidate.

Rich

Just what has the Obama administration accomplished? Things like putting us so deep in debt that we have no possibility of getting out? Or do you think his stimulus package has been successful? aor maybe his healthcare plan that is moving us closer and closer to socialism? Or maybe all the jobs that have been lost since he took office even after all the stimulus money has been spent?